Sacramento Public Library News
In this issue
A note about our newsletter
Holiday technology guide
Diana Gabaldon visit June 13
Holiday events for kids
Serendipity at the Library
Design Spot helps create a new product
Sacramento Room Digitization Project
One Book items For Sale
Volunteer profile
Library Happenings
Great Reads & more
Library Foundation
Friends of the Sacramento Public Library

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DECEMBER, 2013
This Month: Tech guide, holiday events for families, a strange coincidence and a cool new start-up.     
From the Director
Rivkah

Rivkah K. Sass

Library Director

There's an old saying that there are three types of people: People who make things happen, people who watch things happen and people who say "What happened?" That accurately describes my feelings about writing my last column for this year for Sacramento Public Library's newsletter. What happened to 2013 and why is it almost 2014?

 

2013 brought many wonderful things to Sacramento Public Library. Our first community garden, located at the Colonial Heights Library, won national recognition as an innovation, a second garden is almost a reality at the Rancho Cordova Library and we have thoughts about a third garden at another library.

 

Our Summer Reading Program, "Reading is So Delicious!" broke all previous records, with 1,500 free events and 13,439 people who finished the program, meaning they read five books or more, up 19% from 2012.

 

With our partner Fairytale Town and sponsor ScholarShare, we held our very first Play Summit in September, emphasizing the importance of play in the cognitive, emotional and physical development of children. And in October we got our Poe on by hosting a month of events to celebrate the works of Edgar Allan Poe, including the publication of our very own One Book Sacramento, The Slender Poe, on the Library's I Street Press.

 

We'll wrap up the year with our annual Jane Austen Tea in December, featuring opportunities to view English Country Dancing and dress in Regency Era attire while sipping tea and eating finger sandwiches. We can't think of a more perfect way to bid adieu to 2013. See you next year (at the Library!)

A note about our newsletter format

You may notice a few changes to the newsletter this month. In order to make it easier to read and scan, we've cut down the amount of content that goes directly into the newsletter.  

 

While the newsletter delivered into your inbox is significantly shorter than it used to be, we still have all the same content on our website. Every item below links back to SacLibrary.org, so you can follow and read just the stories you care about. Every month you'll be able to follow links back and see news stories about your Sacramento Public Library, get great recommendations on books to read and check out photos of past library events.

 

On top of these changes, next month we'll roll out a whole new look for our newsletter--one that should work better on phones and other mobile devices. Please let us know what you think!

Holiday technology guide

It's the holidays--in other words, the time of year when relatives are likely to thoughtfully gift you some nifty new device that you have no idea how to use. Well, we've got some gifts for you too:

  • Technology instruction classes. We offer numerous classes at many different branches each month. This includes several that focus on eReaders, such as the "eReader petting zoo" series. Staff provide a variety of devices--such as Kindles, iPads and Nooks--and answer your questions while you get hands-on experience with these next-generation readers. If you're the one giving the new device, print out this coupon image and include it in package, so your loved one will know where to go to get free tech support!
  • A growing virtual catalog. Once you've gotten the hang of ebooks, surf on over to our online catalog and get started downloading titles. We have more than 30,000 eBooks and eAudiobooks to choose from, including many by popular authors. You can download up to 10 at a time. Checkouts last three weeks, and there are no late fees because returns are automatic. We even have an online FAQ to help you get started.
  • Give while you shop. When you follow this link, you can help expand our collection anytime you shop online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Powell's Books. When you use our affiliate link, these retailers will donate a portion of your purchase to help us grow Sacramento Public Library's virtual collection of ebooks, eAudiobooks, music, videos and more.
  • Online magazines. Zinio for Libraries lets you read 58 popular titles on your computer or mobile devices, including National Geographic, Newsweek, The Economist and Rolling Stone.
Diana Gabaldon to visit June 13
Diana Gabaldon, the bestselling author of the Outlander series of novels, will visit the Sacramento Public Library on June 13. The event comes near the beginning of her national book tour and just days after the release of the eighth novel in the series, Written in My Own Heart's Blood.

We do not yet have registration information available. READ MORE...
 
Holiday events for kids, teens and families
Got a gaggle of kids to entertain this holiday season? The Sacramento Public Library is here to help, with events all month. From kids crafts to Nutcracker puppet shows to some late-season meetups for teens, we've got a lot to give.

READ MORE...
Serendipity at the Library
Gerry Ward of the I Street Press discovers a book from his past at the Library Bookstore.


 

Design Spot helps create a new product
Add "business incubator" to the many roles the Sacramento Public Library plays in the community, as a pair of young Placerville men use the library Design Spot to help create the HexFlex.

READ MORE...

 

Sacramento Room Digitization Project

By Amanda Graham, Sacramento Room Archivist

 

Here in the Sacramento Room we've been digitizing like crazy, adding valuable new research material to the Sacramento Room Digital Collections, a free database of historical Sacramento photos, postcards, periodicals, ephemera and yearbooks.  

 

READ MORE... 

Take Poe home: One Book items for sale
Many patrons have called or written to express how much they liked the promotional materials for our One Book celebration. In fact, several of you have inquired about buying some of the posters and coasters for The Slender Poe Anthology. Designed in-house by Sacramento Public Library staff, you definitely can't get these anywhere else.

But you now you can buy them from the website PublicSurplus.com. We have six of the big bus shelter posters that you may have seen around town. There are also several smaller posters, including the "Party Like It's 1849" displays for the Edgar Allan Porter from New Helvetia Brewing Company, plus beer coasters in lots of a dozen. The auction runs through December 12.
Volunteer profile: Tahreem and Kristine
Tahreem Shakeel and Kristine Pagdayunan are seniors at Inderkum High School who founded the "Teens Teach Seniors" program at the South Natomas Library. They're hoping to get more people to come to their class instructing senior citizens on using computers, every Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.
READ MORE...
Library Happenings

Scenes from October and November 2013 at the Sacramento Public Library.

 

Our 2013 One Book celebration came to a close on October 29 with Ebony Reveries, an evening of music and readings celebrating Edgar Allan Poe. Here's a video of the evening's program.

 

We also have some Library news, photos from Library events. READ MORE...  

Great Reads & 10 Books to Give
Each month, staff at Sacramento Public Library select Great Reads, recommended books in a variety of genres and age groups. Our current selections include The Valley of Amazement, by Amy Tan (adult fiction); Wheelmen: Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the greatest sports conspiracy ever, by Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O'Connell (adult non-fiction); and Turkey Trouble, by Wendy Silvano (picks for kids).

READ MORE...

Also, for those of you looking to give the gift of books to a child, check out our "10 Books to Give." It's part of our ongoing "10 Books to Read" feature on our website with ScholarShare.
A Gift that Lasts Forever

Leaving a bequest or planned endowment gift with the Sacramento Public Library Foundation on behalf of the Library with last forever. We have three endowments where you can leave your support.

 

READ MORE... 

Friends of the Sacramento Public Library
The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library is a membership-supported, non-profit organization that provides advocacy, fundraising and support for the Sacramento Public Library.

You can help the Friends by shopping at their Winter 2013 Book Sale on consecutive Saturdays, December 7 and 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Friends Bookstore at 8250 Belvedere Ave., Suite E. There's a Friends-only preview sale on Friday, December 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the same location.

Also, a correction from last month's Friends item. The young man playing Edgar Allan Poe at the Annual Friends' Dinner was Tom Block. The caption mistakenly identified him as his brother, Will Block.
Sacramento Public Library
828 I Street, Sacramento, CA  95814
916.264.2770